Trip
by Brandywine421
Summary: What if Teresa didn't just leave Newport? What if she had a reason to go? What happens if Ryan tries to rush to the rescue again...
1. One

**__**

AN: Okay, well, I know I have a lot of unfinished stuff and I promise that I'm working diligently to get some new chapters out of Rain and Secondhand Smoke (I actually have about 30 handwritten pages I'm trying to type in) but this is a story that kind of started nibbling on me yesterday and took a totally random (and I think, unique) turn. I started writing it because of the 2nd line in this chapter but I'm posting it because of the 'strange trip' that happens in chapter 2. This is a stand-alone, these chapters will be all you'll get from me on this one. I swear. Let me know what you think. 

Ryan hung up the phone with a heavy sigh. 

__

"He said he'd kill you if I didn't come home…"

What was he supposed to do? He wasn't a white knight, he couldn't keep risking his life for the damsel in distress.

__

"I'm scared, Ryan…"

She wasn't his responsibility. They weren't neighbors anymore. They weren't boyfriend/girlfriend anymore, they were just casual lovers. Old friends. He had walked away from her, from that life.

__

"He said he'd kill you, Ryan. He knows where you live, he knows what your new parents drive…I can't let him hurt you, you're too important to me…"

Dammit. He couldn't just leave her there. Not with Eddie. He knew that Eddie wasn't a bad guy, he just wasn't enough for Teresa. Eddie, well, he could be a little hotheaded but that wasn't anything Ryan wasn't guilty of himself. But Ryan wouldn't threaten someone, he'd never force a girl to stay with him, not like this. It wasn't fair.

Shit, he wasn't responsible for Teresa, not anymore. But she was doing this for him. She was trying to protect him. She's not responsible for him, she shouldn't be trying to protect him. 

He couldn't just stand by and let this happen. He has to do something.

What? What's he supposed to do?

He couldn't go to Eddie. _"He said he'd kill you…_"

He couldn't go to Teresa. _"If he knows I'm talking to you, he'll snap…I'm scared, Ryan…"_

Sandy would tell him to call the cops. What charge? What could the police possible do, they wouldn't be able to protect the Cohens or himself from something like this. 

Seth, well, Seth probably wouldn't have time to even listen and he wouldn't know what to do. Ryan dialed Seth's number anyway. He got the voicemail and left a message for his friend to call him. 

Shit, he had to do something. He couldn't just wait for Seth to return his call, he'd wait forever. 

He couldn't run off without giving the Cohens some sort of explanation. Not after the Oliver fiasco. They hadn't understood why he hadn't come to them but he knew that they couldn't help. They couldn't help this time but he had to…maybe he should try it their way.

He picked up the phone and dialed Sandy's cell phone. It rang a couple of times before he recognized Sandy's voice.

"Sandy Cohen."

"Hey, Sandy. It's Ryan."

"What's up, kid?"

"I need to talk to you."

"What? Really? Oh, okay, Ryan. Go ahead," Sandy said, clearly surprised.

"Do you have a second?" Ryan asked. He could hear a lot of commotion in the background of Sandy's voice.

"Yeah, I'm at the courthouse and my recess is almost up so I only have a second…"

"Oh. Okay," Ryan said. "I'll just talk to you when you get home…"

"No, it's fine, Ryan. What's up?"

"Well, I just heard from Teresa and…"

"I thought she left…"

"She did. But she told me why she left…" Ryan started.

"Why?"

"Eddie said that he'd kill me if she didn't go back to him…" Ryan stated quietly. Sandy was silent.

"What are you thinking?" Sandy asked.

"I don't know yet…I'm thinking I should go down there and kick his ass and get her the hell away from him…" Ryan admitted. 

"Definitely don't do that. You did the right thing calling me, we'll figure something out…" Sandy started.

"She's scared, Sandy and I can't just leave her there…" Ryan interrupted. 

"Listen, I've got to go finish this case, don't do anything, okay? I'll be home right after court. Ryan?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't do anything until I get home."

"Okay."

"Promise me, Ryan."

"I…I promise, Sandy."

"Sit tight. I'll be home as soon as I can," Sandy promised. Ryan hung up the phone. Why did telling Sandy make him feel so much worse. As if Sandy didn't have enough to worry about, Ryan had to keep throwing complications his way. Sandy shouldn't have to rush home to help solve his problems, Ryan could handle it himself. He stood up, dropping the phone back onto the cradle. 

Last minute rushes to the rescue seemed to be his forte lately. God forbid, he'd actually have time to sit back and think about something. He had to do something, he didn't have time to think about it. He had to go now. Teresa wouldn't have called him if it wasn't urgent. _"I'm scared, Ryan."_ God, it was killing him that she was getting hurt because of him.

"Ryan. Where are you going?" Kirsten's voice stopped him from picking up his jacket. 

"Hey, Kirsten…"

"Sandy just called. He wanted me to make sure you weren't going anywhere. He didn't tell me why, but it looks like you're going somewhere…"

"I…yeah. But…" Damn, he never could talk to Kirsten. He couldn't lie to her but he couldn't talk to her either. He couldn't read her and he never talked to anyone that he couldn't read.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" Kirsten sat down in the chair across from his bed. 

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Ryan. It's not nothing. You've got that stricken look on your face like you're about to bolt. Sit down. Relax. Tell me what's going on."

The phone rang before Ryan could respond. He gave Kirsten an apologetic look and answered the phone. 

"Hello?"

"Hey. It's me again."

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked immediately.

"Yeah. I'm going to leave him, Ryan."

Ryan didn't reply immediately. He glanced at Kirsten who was watching him carefully. 

"I won't if you…"

"No, if you're scared, you have to leave him, it doesn't matter…"

"But what about…"

"It doesn't matter. Don't worry about me, just go."

"I'll call you when I get settled…"

"Be careful…"

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

"Don't worry about me. Just go."

"I love you, Ryan…"

Ryan didn't respond, he sat down on the bed. "Okay, Teresa."

"Bye."

Ryan set the phone beside him on the bed.

"Ryan?"

"You know Teresa went back to Eddie, right? After your dad's party."

"Yeah, Seth filled us in," Kirsten nodded.

"Yeah. Well, she's leaving him."

"Why did she go back to him if she was just going to leave him?" Kirsten asked quietly.

"Because he said he'd kill me," Ryan replied frankly. He didn't look at her when she gasped. He kept his eyes glued to the floor. 

"God, Ryan…I…" She stammered. 

"I have to go," Ryan said quietly.

"Where? What can you do, Ryan?"

"He knows where I live, he's been here, he's been to my school. I have to talk to him. Before he shows up here again," Ryan said slowly. 

"Ryan. Can't you wait for Sandy? I don't think you should run off to Chino to pick a fight…"

"I've known Eddie my whole life. I need to talk to him."

"And you think that he'll listen. Even after he said he'd…he'd kill you. You still think he'll listen?" Kirsten asked, clearly upset. 

"I…I have to try," Ryan said quietly.

"I think you should wait for Sandy," Kirsten replied.

"She's leaving, Kirsten. He's going to come home and find her gone and the first thing he's going to do is haul ass over here…" Ryan started.

"And we'll deal with that," Kirsten replied immediately.

"I don't…I don't want to bring any more of my problems here, Kirsten. I won't put you guys in danger." He glanced up at her and saw her pale a shade. Great, he'd upset Kirsten even more.

"You think we're in danger?"

"I don't know. I won't know until I talk to him," Ryan replied honestly.

Kirsten got up and sat down beside him on the bed. He managed not to flinch as she put her hand on his leg. "You know, Ryan…you are a member of this family now. You count. I don't want you to get hurt any more than I want anything to happen to Seth or Sandy. If you're in danger…that matters, too. I don't want you in danger."

"He won't hurt me," Ryan said quietly.

"He gave you a nice black eye the other night when he pushed you into the pool…"

"I can take care of myself, Kirsten," Ryan said quietly.

"I know. But I don't want you to do anything until you talk to Sandy." 

Ryan met her gaze steadily. "I have to go."

Kirsten looked into his eyes, searching. Finally, she nodded. "I can't stop you."

"You…you're going to let me go?" Ryan asked. He wondered if she was scared of him. Right now, it didn't matter. He couldn't disobey her, no matter how bad he needed to get to Chino. He needed her to let him go.

"I can't stop you. Be careful. You'll call…"

"I will call you," Ryan nodded. He gave her an impulsive hug and then bolted from the poolhouse.

***** 

That kid was going to be grounded forever when he got back. Sandy couldn't believe that Ryan had run off after promising him that he'd wait. Sandy had rushed home after court only to find his wife crying softly in the Jacuzzi. Seth was off with Summer or one of his ladies and Kirsten hadn't stopped Ryan from going to Chino. 

__

"He said he had to go, Sandy. I couldn't stop him. What did you expect me to do?" 

Sandy tried calling Ryan's cell phone again. He hadn't yelled at Kirsten, but he'd wanted to. She should have stopped him, god knows that the kid found trouble, he seemed to attract bruises. But Ryan had a mind of his own. He was going to save the world, one girl at a time.

What did he think he'd be able to do in Chino besides get his ass kicked? 

__

"He said he could talk to Eddie, that they were friends once…" 

Eddie said he'd kill Ryan. That's why Ryan had called Sandy in the first place. He knew he needed help and he'd called Sandy. So why would he run off to Chino? God, that kid…he's a good kid but he had serious problems with decision-making.

Sandy sat down at the counter and dialed Ryan's cell phone again. He had to answer. The phone was on because it was ringing but the voicemail kept picking up. At least he took the phone with him. Kirsten had said that he promised to call, but what if he couldn't call because something happened to him? God knows what could happen to him out there. He thought he could take care of himself but that's the whole reason that Sandy took him in. Sandy was supposed to take care of him now. If only the kid would listen to him. 

***** 

__

"Damn, Eddie, leave the kid alone!"

"It's your fault! It's your fault she left me! Goddammit…"

"Eddie! Get off him, you're killing him!"

"You come around here, trying to take her from me…she's not yours…she's mine…she's always been mine…"

"Somebody call the police, Eddie's gone apeshit!"

"She's mine, you fucker…she's not yours…Ryan? Oh shit…Ryan, are you okay? Oh shit…"

"Eddie, what did you do?"

"Oh shit, Trey's going to kill me…"

"You cut him? Fuck, Eddie…that's Ryan! How could you do that to Ryan?"

"Oh shit…Ryan? Ryan, talk to me, kid…I'm sorry… you know I didn't mean it…"

"We have to get him to a hospital, Eddie…"

"Shit, Arturo, I didn't mean…"

"Fuck what you meant, we have to go now!"

***** 

Sandy answered the phone as it rang on the counter beside him. "Hello?" It'd been hours since Ryan left. It was dark now. Kirsten was upstairs, worried and avoiding his anger. Seth still wasn't home. At least with Seth, Sandy knew he was okay. 

"Hey."

"Thank god. Are you okay?" Sandy asked. 

"That's a matter of perspective," He muttered.

"Where are you?"

"I'm actually driving back now. I'm on my way home."

Sandy could tell that something was wrong by the muted tone of Ryan's voice. "What happened?"

"Can you wait until I get there? I don't want to have to run through it more than once."

"But you're okay?" 

"I'm relatively intact. I'll see you in a little while."

Sandy stared at the phone as the dial tone started to echo in the kitchen. He had to get Ryan to start talking more. He couldn't handle just the bare facts. Not like this.

***** 

Ryan parked the Rover in the driveway and took a moment to sink into the seat. Fucking Eddie had stabbed him, twice in the side before stopping and driving him to the hospital. Fucking Eddie was crying when Ryan finally woke up. He was sorry, he didn't mean it, he was just crazy about Teresa. Ryan had gotten up off the examining table and knocked the bastard to the floor. Eddie had cried all the way to the exit, Arturo by his side. 

At least it was over. Teresa was safely away from Eddie, as long as her common sense held out. Eddie wasn't going to try and beat him senseless anymore. Ryan's near-death encounter had been enough to scare some sense into Eddie. He had two new holes in his side but the doctors had sent him home with forty stitches and a bottle of painkillers. Luckily, Eddie had felt guilty enough to pay the ER in cash so he didn't have to worry the Cohens. 

His side was killing him. It hurt like hell. Ryan had turned down the painkillers at the hospital, he knew he'd be driving home. He wished he could avoid Sandy and just hide out in the poolhouse, at least until he could diminish the pain in his side, but he knew better. He slipped the bottle of pills into his pocket and slowly got out of the Rover. He'd filled it up with gas but he knew that it wouldn't matter. He was in trouble.

"Ryan? Hey, man, what's up?" Seth had pulled in while Ryan was getting out. Damn, he was out of it. 

"Shit, what happened to you?" Summer noticed his swollen face and bloodied clothes and her voice seemed actually concerned.

"Long story," Ryan muttered. 

"Dude, what happened?" Seth asked. 

"I'll tell you later. I have to deal with your Dad first," Ryan said. He ignored Seth's curious glance. He couldn't stop his hands from covering his side as he walked to the door and walked in.

"Ryan…oh god…" Kirsten spotted him first and her voice was laced with something Ryan thought must be guilt. She regretted letting him go. She shouldn't, he would have went anyway, but she was by his side, concerned. "Are you okay? What happened? Why are you holding your side?"

"It's okay, Kirsten, I'm fine," Ryan said. He let her lead him into the kitchen and he sat down at the counter. Sandy walked in. Instead of anger, his face was drawn with worry. Seth and Summer wandered into the kitchen. 

"Seth, we need to talk to Ryan…" Sandy said.

"We just wanted to get something…" Seth started as he went to the refrigerator. 

"Later. We need to talk to Ryan," Kirsten agreed. Seth gave Ryan a worried look and led Summer upstairs. He knew that Seth would be dying of curiosity.

"Ryan. What happened? You promised me you wouldn't go until you talked to me…" Sandy said quietly. 

"I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't wait…she called and said that she was leaving him…"

"And that meant you had to go right then?" Sandy demanded. Now the concern was turning into something he recognized, the anger. Ryan glanced beside him and saw that Kirsten had approached him. She pulled at the cuff of his shirt, exposing the heavy bandages on his side. 

"What happened?" Kirsten whispered. "Did you go to the hospital?"

"I had to get some stitches…" Ryan started.

"Ryan…" Kirsten gasped. 

"It's nothing."

"Go on, Ryan. You had to go."

"I went to Teresa's mom's house. I knew that Eddie would go to Arturo's first thing after finding out that she was gone…"

"Arturo?" Kirsten asked.

"Teresa's brother. Eddie, Arturo and Trey, they're all good friends. Anyway, a few minutes after I got there, Eddie showed up. He was pretty pissed and wouldn't listen to me…I guess I should've known that but anyway, we started to fight," Ryan sighed. "He cut me…"

"He cut you? As in stabbed?" Kirsten gasped.

"I was out cold by the time he cut me," Ryan continued without answering. "Anyway. He saw the blood and realized that he didn't want to be a killer so he drove me to the emergency room. They stitched me up and sent me home."

"Eddie stabbed you and then drove you to the hospital?" Sandy asked. 

Ryan sighed. Sandy and Kirsten couldn't understand. Eddie hadn't meant to hurt him, he was just desperate over losing Teresa. Eddie had always been crazy over Teresa. Shit, when Eddie found out that Ryan and Teresa were having sex for the first time, he'd broken Ryan's collarbone. Eddie had always been crazy over Teresa.

"Ryan?" Kirsten called his name, trying to get his attention.

"Yeah. He cut me and then drove me to the hospital," Ryan said quietly.

"God, Ryan, what the hell were you thinking? Don't answer that, because you weren't thinking," Sandy snapped. He was really angry. 

Ryan sat silently.

"Sandy. He's tired. Are you in pain, Ryan?" Kirsten asked quietly.

"I'm fine," Ryan lied. She clucked her tongue at him, disapprovingly.

"You could have been killed…" Sandy said with a sigh.

"I'm fine…" Ryan started. He'd be fine in a couple of days.

"You're not fine. You were stabbed…" Kirsten interrupted, frustrated.

"I'm fine," Ryan repeated.

"Go to your room, Ryan," Sandy said after a long pause.

Ryan stood up and walked out of the kitchen without a word. He never thought he'd appreciate the silent treatment but he had learned to appreciate the beauty of silence since moving in here. He closed the door to the poolhouse and went straight to the bathroom. He opened his prescription bottle and chewed several pills without glancing at the label. He set the bottle on the counter and washed them down with a handful of water from the sink. He hoped they started working soon. 

He knew that he messed up. He shouldn't have been so impulsive but he couldn't have handled it if Eddie had showed up here. His life from Chino kept bleeding through to his life here. He had to keep them separate. Sometimes he felt like he was coming apart trying to separate his lives. Dawn and Trey. Teresa and Eddie. They had no place here, not now. Ryan discards his bloody shirt and jeans and got dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a wife-beater. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. The pain in his side got worse but finally he succumbed to sleep. Everything would be better tomorrow. Everything would be all right. 

***** 

__

"Ryan. Ryan. Wake up, Ryan. Come on, kid…wake up…"

"Something's wrong, Sandy…"

"Ryan, wake up…open your eyes…"

"Mom? Mom, I think he took some painkillers…"

"How many?"

"I don't know…"

"Count them, Seth. It's important…"

"Wake up, Ryan. Open your eyes, Ryan…"

***** 


	2. Two

***** 

****

"Ryan. Ryan. Wake up Ryan. Come on kid…wake up…"

He sat up with a jolt. "Fuck you, Trey," He said automatically. 

Trey grinned at him from the doorway. He had a cigarette dangling from his lips and a short cropped haircut. He had a beer in each hand.

"Ain't you happy to see me, kid?"

He smiled despite himself. "When'd you get out, punk?" He walked over to his brother and gave him a relaxed hug. Trey splashed beer on his back but it was damned good to see him.

"A couple of days ago."

He knew Trey was drunk when he offered him a beer. He accepted and they toasted. 

"To better days," Trey said.

"Cheers, punk," Ryan replied. They chugged their beer and he finished first. 

"Hey, the kid's got skills and I've only been gone a couple of months!" Trey laughed, patting his back.

"Fuck you," Ryan laughed. It was damned good to see Trey. 

***** 

****

"Something's wrong, Sandy."

Sandy looked at him with a grim expression. He wasn't driving over the speed limit, he was maintaining a constant 55. 

"She called from Oliver's penthouse, she said he wouldn't let her leave…"

"Ryan. I believe you."

He'd never wanted anyone to listen to him before this badly. He liked Sandy. He respected him and he wanted to be a kid that a man like Sandy would deserve. He was used to people not listening to him, shit, he counted on it but this hurt. Sandy didn't believe him, he thought he was nuts.

"Ryan, I just think you're overreacting and you might be…"

"He's dangerous, Sandy. You have to believe me…"

But when Sandy looked at him again, Ryan knew that he didn't. And that just meant that he felt more guilty. Because he wanted Marissa to be safe. He wanted to be wrong about all of this. But he wanted Sandy to believe him, too. 

"She has to be okay," He whispered. He whispered. He wouldn't be too late. This wouldn't be his fault.

***** 

****

"Ryan, wake up…open your eyes…"

He blinked away the brightness. "Oh shit…"

"Arturo's going to be home any minute, you have to get dressed…"

Ryan already had his boxers on when she finished speaking. He pulled the scrunchy holding her damp hair in a ponytail off and tossed it to the far end of her rumpled bed.

"Stop it, you freak," She laughed. God she was beautiful sometimes.

"What time is it?" He asked, sitting down and pulling on his shoes.

"Like, twelve."

"Fuck, I think I had a test today."

"They'll let you make it up. You're, like, our own local wonder boy."

"I'm your wonder boy?" He smiled as she looped an arm around his shoulders.

"Definitely," She purred into his ear.

"I have to go. See you later?"

"Nah, I've got a date," She replied.

He pulled on his jacket. "Devon?"

"Hell no, he was a junkie. This guy's cool."

"Well, be careful." He kissed her deeply. She always tasted good. Colgate fresh. He pulled away and stepped to the door. "Give me a call when your social calendar clears."

"I'll pencil you in next week," She laughed. 

***** 

****

"Mom? Mom, I think he took some painkillers…"

Dammit, she was fucked up, too. She'd be out for a while judging from the empties around her chair.

He couldn't call 911, 911 meant police and Mom hated the police. 

But Trey wasn't waking up. He'd been nutty earlier but he knew it was because of that cheap meth his friend was cooking up. Trey had said he was going to take something to make him relax but Ryan hadn't thought he would take a whole bottle of anything. But he had been nutty and the bottle was empty. 

Fuck, Ryan ignored the pain in his ribs from his brother's earlier rage and dragged him into the bathroom. He hauled Trey into the shower stall.

"Fucking bastard. Mom's going to kick your ass for taking her pills," Ryan said as he turned on the water. Cold. The only kind of water in Chino.

"Wake up, you asshole!" Ryan said, slapping Trey. If he wasn't turning blue then maybe Ryan would be a little gentler.

Trey coughed. He sputtered. Ryan let him go and he fell to his ass in the tub.

"Ow, goddammit!" Trey cursed.

Ryan grabbed the bottle off the sink and grabbed Trey's head roughly by his shaggy hair. He poured the liquid into Trey's mouth. 

Trey coughed and immediately started to vomit, just from the taste in his mouth. "What the fuck, Ry? Are you trying to kill me?"

Ryan replaced the Ipecac and set it on the counter. He grabbed his jacket on his way out of the house. 

***** 

****

"How many?"

"What does it matter how many?" Dawn snapped.

"It matters," He replied. "It matters whether he held up a store with 20 people or a store with, like, 2."

"Why?" She asked. Trey just shook his head at him.

"Because if he robbed a store with 20 people then he probably just wanted to get the hell away from you," Ryan said. She slapped him. He didn't get up. He shut up. But he didn't run.

"Watch your fucking mouth," She said.

"How many? Fuck how many. How much?" Trey asked. "How much did he have when the cops got him?"

"It doesn't fucking matter. He's gone. He won't get out until, hell, Ryan graduates or something."

"Fuck that, then he'll never get out. It's not like Ryan's ever going to graduate," Trey laughed. Dawn and Ryan joined him. They had to laugh. Mr. Atwood was finally gone for good.

***** 

****

"I don't know."

"You don't know? What does that mean?"

"It means I don't know!"

"Fuck, Teresa…"

"Fuck you, Ryan! I don't know…I can't…I can't have a baby now…I'm fifteen…and I can't have an abortion…I just can't…"

"Just relax, Teresa…" He wrapped his arms around her. He'd never seen her cry before. Never like this. Like her life was over. 

"I don't know what I'm going to do…"

"It's okay, we'll figure it out…" He whispered, running his hand through her hair. 

"It's not yours…"

"God, I hope not, we haven't fucked…"

"Don't say it like that," She scolded.

"In months, Teresa. I'll still help you however I can," Ryan whispered into her ear.

"I know. That's why I came to you. You're my best friend. I love you."

"Okay, Teresa."

"Ryan…"

"Everything's going to be all right."

***** 

****

"Count them, Seth. It's important."

"One. Two. Three. Four. Okay, I'm bored." Seth was never any help at studying.

"You suck," Ryan sighed. He turned the pages in his own textbook and found the map he was looking for.

"How can you study? I'm going insane here."

"You're already insane," Ryan muttered. "You've been learning this stuff for years and I've been here, like 3 weeks. I have to study."

"Mom and Dad don't care if you flunk," Seth replied.

"I care."

"You're even a suck up when they're not here," Seth teased.

Ryan gave him the finger. 

"How about a break? A break, my friend? For perhaps, a tiebreaker match at Tekken?"

"I hate you. Truly. Madly. Deeply. Hate you."

"Come on."

Ryan followed Seth from the poolhouse. 

***** 

****

"Wake up, Ryan. Open your eyes, Ryan."

"Mom? What's going on?"

"We have to go."

"Go? What the fuck are you talking about?" Ryan looked around, confused. He was on the ragged couch they had brought from Fresno. They'd been in this house for three weeks. 

"The cops are coming."

"What? What the fuck, Ma?" He was shoving clothes into a backpack now. Usually when she said go, she meant go.

"I didn't have the rent and we were supposed to be out, like two days ago."

"Fuck, Dawn, what happened to the money I gave you?" He turned to face her. 

"Don't be angry at me, baby…I'm sorry…you know how things have been for me lately…" Dawn said with tears in her eyes.

Fuck. He could never stand it when she cried.

"Just hurry, baby. We can stay at one of my friend's house."

"Damn, Ma…"

"You can sleep in the car, you'd like that. That way, you can still make it to school tomorrow…"

"It's summer break," Ryan muttered.

"Please don't me mad, baby. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Let's just go."

***** 


	3. Three

***** 

Ryan wouldn't wake up. He was breathing, his heart was beating but Sandy had been shaking him for five minutes and he hadn't reacted. 

"Something's wrong, Sandy," Kirsten said, panicked. She was sitting on the opposite side of Ryan, holding his wrist. The boy was pale and his skin was clammy to the touch. 

Seth had come into the kitchen a few minutes earlier, looking scared. He said that Ryan wouldn't wake up and Ryan always woke up. 

"Ryan, wake up…open your eyes…" He urged, slapping Ryan's bruised face gently.

"Mom? Mom, I think he took some painkillers…" Seth's voice was urgent from the bathroom. Painkillers reminded Sandy of Mexico. Oh god. He shouldn't have been so hard on the kid. 

"How many?" Sandy demanded. 

"I don't know…"

"Count them, Seth. It's important," Kirsten said. She was on Ryan's other side, his wrist still in her shaking hand. He had a pulse because Kirsten still had some color in her face. But he was limp. He was cold and limp. 

"Wake up, Ryan. Open your eyes, Ryan…"

"Five. There's five missing," Seth said, handing the bottle to Kirsten.

"I don't even know what this is…oxycodone…"

"Oxycontin?" Seth asked.

Sandy refocused on Ryan. 

"Wake up." He turned to Seth. "Get me a glass of water." He shook Ryan gently.

"80 milligrams," Kirsten said. Seth handed him a cup of water and Sandy immediately doused Ryan.

Ryan gasped suddenly and wrenched away from Kirsten and Sandy in a panic.

"Ryan, Ryan…" Kirsten said, clearly relieved.

"What…what's going on…" Ryan panted. The kid was breathless, like he'd been drowning. Maybe the water was a bad idea.

"Look at me…Did you take some pills?" Sandy asked as Ryan seemed to deflate into Kirsten's arms. She held his shoulders, keeping him upright.

"Yeah…the doctor gave them to me at the hospital…" His speech was soft and slow. His pupils were so small that Sandy could barely see anything but blue. 

"How many did you take? Ryan?" Kirsten steadied him as he wavered. His blinks were painfully slow and his eyelids wouldn't fully open. 

"A couple…maybe three…" He murmured, dazed.

"Maybe five?" Kirsten urged. "Ryan?" She shook him.

"Maybe…can you not squeeze so hard? I didn't even look at them…Arturo gave them to me…" He blinked. He glanced at Sandy and then up at Seth. "Hey…" Seth was frozen.

Kirsten released him, seeing his bruised arms. Ryan went limp against the bed, struggling to focus.

"Seth. Call 911. Tell them that Ryan took about five 80 milligram oxycontin."

"On it," Seth said, picking up the phone and walking outside the poolhouse.

"What's going on?" Ryan asked after a short silence. He was breathing shallowly, like he hadn't caught his breath yet. 

"Just stay awake, honey…" Kirsten said.

"It must be bad if you're calling me honey…" Ryan slurred. 

"I call you honey all the time," Kirsten replied.

"I didn't mean to scare you…I've never been scary before…" Ryan murmured distantly.

Sandy gently lifted him to a sitting position. Ryan blinked, sluggish. The sound of sirens started filling the room.

"Am I on something?" Ryan asked, his head slumping to the side. 

"Ryan…"

"Oh shit…I took too much…what the hell did I do…" Ryan eyes cleared suddenly.

"It's okay, it was an accident," Sandy said, not liking the expression on the boy's face.

"Oh shit…I'm sorry…" Ryan whispered. The kid was more lucid now and he was starting to panic. Seth led several paramedics into the poolhouse.

"We can take it from here. Step outside. Just for a minute," One of the EMT's said to Sandy. He let Kirsten pull him out of the poolhouse to the patio. They couldn't see Ryan because the medics were in the way.

"It was an accident. It had to be an accident. What happened to him?" Seth asked, starting to panic now that everything was settling down. Sandy finally let himself breathe. 

"He took too many…" Kirsten started.

"No. Why is he so beat up? What's up with the bandages? Why are you guys so pissed at him?"

"We're not pissed at him…"

"Well, something happened today, you had Ryan on the stool of doom when Summer and I came in and now I find him hopped up on pills in the poolhouse…" Seth began.

"Seth. Stop," Kirsten sighed. She had her arms wrapped around herself. Sandy put an arm around her and pulled her close to him. 

"He went to Chino and got into it with Eddie…"

"Eddie, Teresa's crazy boyfriend? Why the hell would he do that?" Seth asked, confused. 

"He has his reasons," Sandy sighed. 

"In other words you don't know," Seth replied, frustrated. 

"He's trying. He called you, Sandy, he wanted your help. Seth, he probably called you, too. And he talked to me, we had a real conversation. He's still impulsive and short-tempered but he's trying to change," Kirsten said suddenly. "He's making the effort, he's just still got a ways to go…"

"Who thought you'd be the one defending him," Seth muttered.

"He doesn't need defending," Sandy said. "He's not in trouble, he's just…"

"Overdosing on oxycontin as we speak," Seth said quietly. "If that's not trouble…"

A paramedic stepped outside. "Do you know if he swallowed the pills or chewed them?"

"We don't know. Did you ask him?"

"He's in and out of consciousness. We're going to take him to the hospital, just so we can monitor him. Where did he get the prescription?" The medic asked.

"He went to a hospital in Chino, one of his friends took him in."

"He's only sixteen and he was treated without your consent?" The man questioned.

"Yes, we didn't even know he had been hurt until he got home. He didn't tell us that the doctor gave him anything, he said he didn't even look at the label," Kirsten answered. 

"Oxycontin is given to patients with cancer, not kids with a few stitches. You guys could have a hell of a malpractice suit on your hands," The paramedic said quietly. 

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Thank god you guys found him. We need to watch him closely and make sure he doesn't have any serious respiratory distress, that's usually the big thing with oxycontin overdoses." The paramedic held open the door as the others pushed Ryan out on a stretcher. His eyes were closed and besides the paleness of his skin, he seemed to be sleeping.

"Can I ride with you?" Sandy asked.

"Of course," The man nodded.

"We'll be right behind you, Sandy," Kirsten said. 

***** 

Ryan woke up to the sound of voices. Distant voices. Where was he? It smelled like…disinfectant. Hospital. No, wait. He already went to the hospital today and he was sent home. He had talked to the Cohens. They were pissed. He had went to bed. He opened his eyes slowly. 

"Ryan?" Kirsten's voice was concerned but she sounded like she was smiling.

Definitely a hospital. He started to sit up but there was an IV taped to his hand. He glanced at it and finished sitting up. God, he felt like he was hungover. There seemed to be clouds in his eyes. Everything was muffled but he could hear even the smallest sound. He thought he could hear Kirsten's heart beating. 

"Hey. What happened?" Ryan asked. His throat was sore. Something was seriously wrong with this. He had to be dreaming. In stereo. He'd been dreaming in stereo for days it felt like. 

"You scared the hell out of us," Seth answered. Ryan glanced to the opposite side of the bed and recognized Seth and Sandy watching him. 

Ryan gave them all a confused look.

"The doctor prescribed you oxycontin, Ryan…" Kirsten said gently.

"What? Oxy? Why the fuck would he give me oxycontin?" Ryan asked in disbelief.

"You didn't even look at the label before swallowing them," Seth muttered.

"God, I fucking chewed them like candy, I just assumed they'd be Vicodin or Percocet or something," Ryan responded, stricken.

"And you would have just chewed Vicodin or Percocet like candy, too?" Sandy asked.

"Shit…sorry…I mean, I just…I wanted to go to sleep and my side was killing me, I didn't take anything before I drove home from the hospital…" Ryan started to explain.

"Well, thank god you didn't. You could have died. Again. That's twice in one day that you've come close to death," Sandy replied. 

Ryan didn't speak again. He let his head rest against the pillow. He closed his eyes.

"Ryan?" Seth called, worried.

"Yeah?" 

"You're not even going to ask when you're getting out of here or what happened to you?" Seth questioned.

"I'm sure you'll tell me," Ryan replied quietly. He didn't want to talk right now. He was tired. He felt like he'd been on a long trip. He didn't want the Cohens to be looking at him with their faces full of disappointment. It was like all that he was working for, their approval and their acceptance, all of it meant nothing now. 

"Ryan, what's going on?" Seth called.

"I'm tired." He didn't open his eyes.

"Can't you stay awake and talk to us?" Kirsten said quietly. Ryan didn't open his eyes until he heard the door to the room close. Sandy had left. 

"You're not in trouble," Kirsten said gently. Seth was shaking his head at him, confused and concerned. 

Ryan didn't respond, he kept his eyes glued on the wall between Seth and Kirsten.

"Great. Now that he's awake, he's not going to talk. What's the point?" Seth stormed from the room. 

Ryan sighed. Kirsten leaned forward and took his hand. 

"Everything's going to be all right, Ryan."

"Okay, Kirsten," Ryan replied quietly. There was a long awkward pause. "You should go check on them."

"They'll be back. I'm going to stay with you."

Ryan closed his eyes. "Okay, Kirsten. Whatever you think is best." He kept his eyes closed and forced himself to breathe slowly. He didn't react when he heard her walk out from the room.

Everything would be all right. He'd always told himself that. Everything would be all right.


End file.
